Philippians 2:23-25 - I hope to send him

2:23,24

So Paul hopes to send Timothy as soon as possible, but he wants to wait until his own situation is clearer. I.e. whether he will live or die! Paul also hopes to visit them himself soon, and is confident that he will do so. Depending on the date given to the letter, it seems unlikely that he ever was actually able to see them again.

Why does Paul go to such lengths to commend Timothy to them? It is possible (likely?) that the selfish teachers would seek to cast doubt on the goodness or worthiness of Timothy, so Paul is making it clear that Timothy is a faithful servant of Christ.

2:25

Paul is unable to send Timothy immediately, and definitely cannot come himself. However, he is desperate to have direct input into the church, and, perhaps more so, to receive direct information on how well they are doing. So he is sending Epaphroditus, describing him as his “brother, co-worker and fellow soldier”.  Epaphroditus had apparently been sent by the Philippians, so it seems that he had connections both with the Philippians and with Paul. Note that he is not just a brother, not just a worker, and not just a soldier, but all three.